What UFA should we really go after?

[Henkka]

Put it 12M x 7 years for Karlsson and call it a day.

Buyout Daley and call it a day.

DeKeyser - Karlsson
Cholowski - Green
Ericsson - Hronek

I wouldn't even mind having Kronwall as 7th guy at this point. Ericsson/Kronwall/Green combo could play 60+60+60 games combined.

Karlsson 80 games
DeKeyser 80 games
Cholowski 70 games
Hronek 70 games
Green 60 games
Ericsson 60 games
Kronwall 60 games

That's ~80-game split for 7 guys. Team is never 100% healthy through regular season, so you always build it around 7 guys to play for 6 spots.

When Ericsson/Green are released year after, we can bring McIsaac + 2020 summer UFA in.

Also bring Nyquist back if he is a good buddy with Karlsson.

 

[JustJokinenAround]

The Norris Trophy winner this year is going to be 35. Karlsson plays a game that will age well.

i think the issue would be that karlsson has had some major foot issues. i don't know if gio has had injury issues but karlsson's foot will be a concern as he ages.

 

[Snuggs]

I love Karlsson but I'm afraid his 7 year contract will look really bad near the end of his career, while just he alone won't totally turn around things. Maybe even hinder things even going forward in a few years(injuries). Red Wings would be more fun to watch, for sure, and if they piggy backed his signing with another major move I'd love it but he alone doesn't make the Red Wings a real cup contender. Maybe that 8th-6th seed but we need a little more help than just Karlsson. Karlsson plus... X move for someone makes me happier. Idk if they could do it but I would like Nyquist/Karlsson offseason.

Really though, I think they should just roll with the motions, keep the veteran guys they do have now till TC. Insert the youth where they can, beating out veterans like Ericsson/Daley/Abdelkader.(If they can)

Let Cholowski/Veleno/1st rdp/McIsaac and Kuffner play major roles in the AHL and see who's moved at the trade deadline, possibly bringing them up then.

Draft well where-ever they end up, stock pile picks, resign there own, and make a play for a guy the organization likes a lot in 2020 that isn't going to out pace the rebuild.

 

[The Zermanator]

Put it 12M x 7 years for Karlsson and call it a day.

Buyout Daley and call it a day.

DeKeyser - Karlsson
Cholowski - Green
Ericsson - Hronek

I wouldn't even mind having Kronwall as 7th guy at this point. Ericsson/Kronwall/Green combo could play 60+60+60 games combined.

Karlsson 80 games
DeKeyser 80 games
Cholowski 70 games
Hronek 70 games
Green 60 games
Ericsson 60 games
Kronwall 60 games

That's ~80-game split for 7 guys. Team is never 100% healthy through regular season, so you always build it around 7 guys to play for 6 spots.

When Ericsson/Green are released year after, we can bring McIsaac + 2020 summer UFA in.

Also bring Nyquist back if he is a good buddy with Karlsson.

Yeah this is the play for this offseason. It's crazy how much Karlsson would change the look of our blueline. With continued development by Hronek and Cholowski, that could be a halfway decent blueline within 1-2 years. Anything else we're probably looking at another 4-5 years before the D corps is respectable. Agree about bringing Kronwall back too.

For me no other UFA this offseason is good enough to justify signing. The Gardiner/Myers/etc types will be overpaid and the only meaningful thing they would accomplish for us next season is push us up the draft order. Since doing nothing probably means another good shot at a lottery pick, I think we stand to lose more total value to the org by signing one of those 2nd tier guys. For example, I think this club stands to gain more in the medium/long term with another top 5 pick than they do with Gardiner + 11OA. So Karlsson or bust.

i think the issue would be that karlsson has had some major foot issues. i don't know if gio has had injury issues but karlsson's foot will be a concern as he ages.

What are the major foot issues? His big foot injury was like 6 seasons ago and he has 400 pts in 447 games since that season (0.89 PPG). Doesn't seem to have affected him too much in the long run.

 

[Henkka]

What are the major foot issues? His big foot injury was like 6 seasons ago and he has 400 pts in 447 games since that season (0.89 PPG). Doesn't seem to have affected him too much in the long run.

That ankle has bothered him a bit.

But I don't are about it, Karlsson major strength is his vision and passing/shooting ability. Especially stretch passing. He would give us a 30-minute neutral zone machine. And when you put Larkin and Veleno to handle up the other 15+15 minutes when he is not on the ice, we will be a 60-minute zone entry machine again.

A contender.

And Michael Rasmussen becomes the league-best net-front player on same day if Karlsson will sign with us. We have the "tool" already (which is still developing), but he needs a feeder and EK would be best in the business.

Same thing that Tkachuk-Giordano is now for the Flames and what Lidström-Homer was for us.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Yeah this is the play for this offseason. It's crazy how much Karlsson would change the look of our blueline. With continued development by Hronek and Cholowski, that could be a halfway decent blueline within 1-2 years. Anything else we're probably looking at another 4-5 years before the D corps is respectable. Agree about bringing Kronwall back too.

For me no other UFA this offseason is good enough to justify signing. The Gardiner/Myers/etc types will be overpaid and the only meaningful thing they would accomplish for us next season is push us up the draft order. Since doing nothing probably means another good shot at a lottery pick, I think we stand to lose more total value to the org by signing one of those 2nd tier guys. For example, I think this club stands to gain more in the medium/long term with another top 5 pick than they do with Gardiner + 11OA. So Karlsson or bust.



What are the major foot issues? His big foot injury was like 6 seasons ago and he has 400 pts in 447 games since that season (0.89 PPG). Doesn't seem to have affected him too much in the long run.

Karlsson had major surgery on his ankle in June of 2017. He said the doctors removed half his ankle bone, which isn’t actually a thing, but the point being it wasn’t minor surgery on his ankle.

 

[Larkin1578]

I'd like to get Jake Gardiner and Michael Ferland.

 

[plymouthmi]

I was hoping there might be some lower level UFA forward we could sign for a cheaper 1-2 year deal with the intention of trading them. But looking at the list of free agents, they all seem too expensive or young enough that they'd want longer term deals.

I am a little torn on Karlsson. I love him, but I'm not sure it's actually best for the Wings. In the short term, he will make the team better but I don't think better enough to make the playoffs. So it will just hurt our draft position. And I'm expecting him to get a rich contract with long term, so down the line it might affect the ability to pay our existing players when they hit UFA and RFA (this is me being optimistic that we will have some players getting big paydays! Haha).

 

[PelagicJoe]

Karlsson, Panarin. I would say Bob if Howard didnt just get signed.

 

[obey86]

What do you guys think about going after some lower tier restricted free agents from a cap strapped team? Someone like Kapanen in Toronto. We could offer up approximately ~4.1M/year and only give up a 2nd round pick. Kapanen is due a raise this year but I don't think he would get that much from Toronto if they just did a 1 year deal.

If Marner gets like 9-10M/year, they will already be over the cap by 2-3M. Could they really afford another 4M/year contract at this point?

 

[NickH8]

What do you guys think about going after some lower tier restricted free agents from a cap strapped team? Someone like Kapanen in Toronto. We could offer up approximately ~4.1M/year and only give up a 2nd round pick. Kapanen is due a raise this year but I don't think he would get that much from Toronto if they just did a 1 year deal.

If Marner gets like 9-10M/year, they will already be over the cap by 2-3M. Could they really afford another 4M/year contract at this point?

I wouldn't mind this at all. You pray a second round pick becomes Kapanen. Also it's not like he's a guy Toronto has to lock up, so it's possible they cut their losses and don't match.

 

[obey86]

I wouldn't mind this at all. You pray a second round pick becomes Kapanen. Also it's not like he's a guy Toronto has to lock up, so it's possible they cut their losses and don't match.

Exactly, that's my thinking as well. You're hoping your 2nd round pick becomes Kapanen in 3-4 years. Why not just guarantee it? He's young enough to be around when (if) the Wings become competitive again. I'm surprised more GMs don't do this with their 2nd round picks.

 

[Henkka]

Any player that makes us better on any position for a reasonable price, is worth to acquire.

Fine for Kapanen.

 

[jkutswings]

Exactly, that's my thinking as well. You're hoping your 2nd round pick becomes Kapanen in 3-4 years. Why not just guarantee it? He's young enough to be around when (if) the Wings become competitive again. I'm surprised more GMs don't do this with their 2nd round picks.

Leaf fans seem certain he will get locked up, but with how Marner continues to escalate his impending windfall, I'm not sure how.

Has anybody done a search on RFA's to see if any other defensemen might be shaken free? At a minimum, Kapanen in Toronto and the Fox situation in Carolina (whether it's him or moving another defenseman to make room) should be under constant surveillance in the off season.

If Detroit can somehow take advantage, plus add either EK now or Trouba later? Now they're cooking with gas on shortening the rebuild.

 

[The Zermanator]

What do you guys think about going after some lower tier restricted free agents from a cap strapped team? Someone like Kapanen in Toronto. We could offer up approximately ~4.1M/year and only give up a 2nd round pick. Kapanen is due a raise this year but I don't think he would get that much from Toronto if they just did a 1 year deal.

If Marner gets like 9-10M/year, they will already be over the cap by 2-3M. Could they really afford another 4M/year contract at this point?

The thing for me is that we have to keep in perspective the likelihood that we'll be competing for a lottery pick once again if we stand pat. That attaches a certain value to our 2020 1st. If we're talking about adding a Karlsson, or Trouba, or Panarin, sure that moves the needle for me. I'm willing to take the likely hit to our 2020 1st value in exchange for a sure thing now. But for a Duchene/Gardiner/Myers tier player I don't think the quality of the player is worth the hit that we'll likely take to the 2020 1st. So if we strike out on Karlsson I think we should just let the kids play and develop another year and we can re-evaluate our options then. With even more cap space and a better draft pick, hopefully with Yzerman in control of it.

 

[Fynn]

I just don't trust Ken Holland to make the right move. With Kronwall (hopefully) retiring, Daley and Green's health in question, Ericsson with nothing left, Hronek and Cholo not quite ready for prime time, I'm not seeing now as the time for EK. Not to mention, nothing in goal and no one in the pipeline. Add to that the anchor contracts that Holland has saddled the team with. To me it would be like the Pistons getting Blake Griffin. So you eek into the playoffs only to lose in the first round and it gives the illusion that the team is progressing.

 

[Hockeyfannnn91]

I don’t trust ken Holland with all that cap space man , first thing he should be doing with that cap space is trading for someone like Ryan Callahan and getting a 2nd back + , eat half the salary and get another asset since it’ll just be for one year .

After that get rid of Daley and someone else with $ if possible for more picks, after all that if we can convince Karlsson to come why not I think his play on the ppl is so exceptional even when he’s 34-35 he should still be able to get 40-55 pts and we can always do it so last 2 years are cheaper so we can buy him out (don’t think he’d come though)

That doesn’t happen maybe sign someone like a maroon for one year than can maybe get 15-20 and we can use that player as trade bait come trade deadline , stick with the plan and keep loading the picks for this years draft and next season and we’ll turn this team around so much quicker

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Karlsson 100%.

I'd also be fine with Gardiner.

 

[Marky9er]

Karlsson's Achilles Heel is..... literally his Achilles. I think you guys are ignoring the severity and lasting effect of that. He hasn't been the same player since, he's also having groin issues. You want to sign Bobby Orr for the years he didn't get to play, basically.

I guess we can LTIRetire him if it comes to that, so I guess I'd be ok with it. Just don't think it's likely, and I don't think the timing fits.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Sign Myers

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Karlsson's Achilles Heel is..... literally his Achilles. I think you guys are ignoring the severity and lasting effect of that. He hasn't been the same player since, he's also having groin issues. You want to sign Bobby Orr for the years he didn't get to play, basically.

I guess we can LTIRetire him if it comes to that, so I guess I'd be ok with it. Just don't think it's likely, and I don't think the timing fits.

While the leg issues in terms of the ankle bone and groin do concern me his achilles doesn't as much and honestly that is because of Selanne in terms of he found a new normal after the injury. He didn't regain his absolute maximum gear much like Selanne but his new normal was still as a very good skater. You never know with these guys, but that specific one doesn't worry me as much, though he could have a wonky back at some point or something else for compensating for his leg issues. I still think he is a franchise D and I am fine taking a chance on an elite talent, not just a very good player but what Karlsson has been is fantastic for several years and it is very hard to forget him putting the Sens on his back in the post-season run where he was incredibly banged up.

 

[TheRatPoisoner]

The contract we'd give Karlsson would make be a bit nervous, but ultimately, it's just so rare that a player of his caliber to go to free agency that if you have the chance to sign him, I think you have to sign him.

Like others have said, don't think we'd have a shot a Panarin.

 

[RabidBadger]

I feel adding Karlsson to this lineup would turn out how Blake Griffin did with the Pistons. It will make them good enough to hose their draft position but not be a real contender. The term could turn ugly.
I think it needs to be a couple years before they add top flight UFAs. Gardner would be a nice plug for the backline.

 

[Hen Kolland]

I feel adding Karlsson to this lineup would turn out how Blake Griffin did with the Pistons. It will make them good enough to hose their draft position but not be a real contender. The term could turn ugly.
I think it needs to be a couple years before they add top flight UFAs. Gardner would be a nice plug for the backline.

The obvious difference being the Red Wings have cheap, young, controllable talent while the Pistons have zero players, outside of maybe Kennard, who would meet that same criteria.

 

[RabidBadger]

The obvious difference being the Red Wings have cheap, young, controllable talent while the Pistons have zero players, outside of maybe Kennard, who would meet that same criteria.

Be that as it may, the results are likely to be the same: a splashy, high profile player added to a team of no relevance.